Calendula Soap
This variety is very soothing to the skin.
Equipment
- Soap mould
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry calendula petals, approximate
- 16 ounces purified tallow
- 7.5 ounces coconut oil
- 7.5 ounces calendula infused sweet almond oil
- 11.8 ounces calendula tea
- 4.5 ounces sodium hydroxide (lye)
- 1 ounce lemongrass essential oil
- .6 ounce peppermint oil
- additional dry calendula petals and/or dry cornflower petals
Instructions
Calendula Infused Sweet Almond Oil
- Place a handful of calendula petals in a mason jar. Cover with about 10 ounces of sweet almond oil. (You'll only need 7.5 ounces oil but some will stick to the petals and sides of the jar so you want more than is in the soap recipe.)
- Set the jar in a small saucepan of warm water and place it on the burner over the very lowest heat setting. (Use the warming burner if your stove has one.)
- Let the oil infuse for a few hours.
- Strain out the petals and reserve ¼ cup for using in the soap. (Do not use dry calendula petals in the soap because they will turn brown after curing without the oil coating.)
Calendula Tea
- Bring a quart of water to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add about ¼ cup of calendula petals.
- Allow the petals to steep until it cools to room temperature and strain the petals from the tea. You will need 11.8 ounces of tea.
Calendula Soap
- Set up a double boiler on the stove.
- Measure out the tallow and coconut oil into a large bowl and set it over the double boiler.
- Meanwhile measure out the calendula infused sweet almond oil in a separate bowl.
- Measure out the lye in a small container and the calendula tea into a separate container.
- Slowly sprinkle the lye over the calendula tea while stirring gently until the lye is fully dissolved. Set the lye mixture aside to cool.
- Measure out the essential oil blend and set it aside.
- Once the hard oil have melted in the double boiler, remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the calendula infused sweet almond oil.
- When the lye mixture and oil mixture have cooled pour the lye water into the oil mixture, stirring to combine them for a minute.
- Using an immersion blender combine the mixture until the soap reaches "trace."
- Add the essential oil blend and oil-soaked calendula petals. Blend it a little longer until they are fully combined.
- Pour the mixture into the soap mold.
- Sprinkle with dry calendula and/or cornflower petals to decorate if desired.
- Cover and set in a cool place until the soap has hardened enough to remove from the molds, usually 48 hours.
- Cut the soap into bars and cure for 4-8 weeks. The longer you cure the bars, the harder the final bars will be and the longer they will last.
Tried this DIY?Let us know how it was!